A distortion imparting device capable of obtaining a natural distortion effect even when output is decreased is provided. The distortion imparting device includes a first amplification part which attenuates an input audio signal on the basis of an attenuation factor set by a user and amplifies the attenuated audio signal, a second amplification part serially connected to the first amplification part, and a limiting part which is connected between an output terminal of the first amplification part and an input terminal of the second amplification part and limits an input voltage of the second amplification part to a predetermined clip voltage, wherein the limiting part determines the clip voltage on the basis of the attenuation factor.

An electronic keyboard musical instrument includes a sound source configured to, in response to detection of key-pressing of the first key in damper-off detection, input first excitation signal data corresponding to the first key to a first channel, input first channel output data which is output from the first channel to each of low-register channels corresponding to the respective low-register keys, and output musical sound data which is generated based on respective pieces of low-register channel output data which is output from the respective low-register channels and the first channel output data, as musical sound data corresponding to the first key.

Systems and methods for providing accurate and independent control of reverberation properties are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system may include a reverberation processing system, a direct processing system, and a combiner. The reverberation processing system can include a reverb initial power (RIP) control system and a reverberator. The RIP control system can include a reverb initial gain (RIG) and a RIP corrector. The RIG can be configured to apply a RIG value to the input signal, and the RIP corrector can be configured to apply a RIP correction factor to the signal from the RIG. The reverberator can be configured to apply reverberation effects to the signal from the RIP control system. In some embodiments, one or more values and/or correction factors can be calculated and applied such that the signal output from a component in the reverberation processing system is normalized to a predetermined value (e.g., unity (1.0)).

An automatic defect detection method for detecting a defect in an object comprises: obtaining ultrasound scan data of the object, dividing echo amplitude values of the data into a plurality of sub-sets; assessing each sub-set to determine whether any echo amplitude values resulted from a structure of interest; computing for each sub-set, using at least a representative position of the structure portion of the sub-set and of a neighboring sub-set, a preselected mathematical function which is directly or inversely proportional to a distance between the representative positions; identifying sub-sets having a computed value that does not meet a predetermined criterion as regions of the ultrasound scan data that require inspection; issuing a notification indicating whether or not a region requiring inspection has been found; and if a region requiring inspection been found, storing data identifying the region in a database.

An automatic defect detection method for detecting a defect in an object comprises: obtaining ultrasound scan data of the object, dividing echo amplitude values of the data into a plurality of sub-sets; assessing each sub-set to determine whether any echo amplitude values resulted from a structure of interest; computing for each sub-set, using at least a representative position of the structure portion of the sub-set and of a neighboring sub-set, a preselected mathematical function which is directly or inversely proportional to a distance between the representative positions; identifying sub-sets having a computed value that does not meet a predetermined criterion as regions of the ultrasound scan data that require inspection; issuing a notification indicating whether or not a region requiring inspection has been found; and if a region requiring inspection been found, storing data identifying the region in a database.

A distortion imparting device capable of obtaining a natural distortion effect even when output is decreased is provided. The distortion imparting device includes a first amplification part which attenuates an input audio signal on the basis of an attenuation factor set by a user and amplifies the attenuated audio signal, a second amplification part serially connected to the first amplification part, and a limiting part which is connected between an output terminal of the first amplification part and an input terminal of the second amplification part and limits an input voltage of the second amplification part to a predetermined clip voltage, wherein the limiting part determines the clip voltage on the basis of the attenuation factor.

An apparatus comprising: an input configured to receive at feast one signal comprising a haptic signal part and an audio signal part; a stream processor configured to separate the at least one signal to generate at least one haptic signal and at least one audio signal; a router configured to route the at least one haptic signal as a first output signal to a first output and the at least one audio signal as a second output signal to a second output; and an output configured to output the processed first output signal such that it generates a haptic effect and the processed second output signal generates an acoustic effect.

An amplifier stage uses a loaded transistor amplifier circuit including a load that causes greater second order harmonic distortion energy than third order harmonic distortion energy to be produced in said loaded transistor amplifier circuit for amplifying a source audio signal to produce an audio output signal. The spectrum of the fundamental orders of harmonic distortion is adjusted to improve perceived sound quality or listening enjoyment.

Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for processing an audio signal to add virtual bass. In one representative embodiment, an apparatus includes: (a) an input line that inputs an original audio signal; (b) a bass extraction filter that extracts a bass portion of such original audio signal; (c) an estimator that estimates a fundamental frequency of a bass sound within such bass portion; (d) a frequency translator that shifts the bass portion by a positive frequency increment that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency estimated by the estimator, thereby providing a virtual bass signal; (f) an adder having (i) inputs coupled to the original audio signal and to the virtual bass signal and (ii) an output; and (g) an audio output device coupled to the output of the adder.

Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for processing an audio signal to add virtual bass. In one representative embodiment, an apparatus includes: (a) an input line that inputs an original audio signal; (b) a bass extraction filter that extracts a bass portion of such original audio signal; (c) an estimator that estimates a fundamental frequency of a bass sound within such bass portion; (d) a frequency translator that shifts the bass portion by a positive frequency increment that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency estimated by the estimator, thereby providing a virtual bass signal; (f) an adder having (i) inputs coupled to the original audio signal and to the virtual bass signal and (ii) an output; and (g) an audio output device coupled to the output of the adder.